Upper Canada Chorus

Italy 2004

On July 4th, we arrived in the Eternal City of Rome and checked into our downtown hotel, then truly embarking on our journey. Over the next 5 days, we well-spent our time exploring the city’s beautiful sights and history. With a scavenger photo hunt that had our 4 groups running all over the city, we’d had the chance to visit Italy’s beautiful Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Altar of Peace, and some of us had the chance to see the nation’s president, too! Of course, it was essential that we make a stop to the historical Coliseum and that we did, but it wasn’t an easy task. It happened to be that our scheduled day to make the visit was the day that the local public transit system decided to go on strike! Leaving us with no other way to get to the great stadium, some pretty persuasion took us a long way, as an understanding bus driver finally decided to make the trip for us. And a good thing he did, as it ended up being one of the choristers’ favourite sites of this leg of our trip, with the rich history and sight the almost 2,000 year old amphitheatre holds.

Our stay in Rome was also sprinkled with healthy servings of the country’s delicious foods, with pizza margaritas being a prominent favourite. We also certainly took advantage of the fact that we were in the home of what some call the greatest ice cream in the world. In order to soak the most of our experience, ordering double-scoops of gelato several times throughout the day became a daily standard for most of our choristers!

And lest we forget the amazing performance opportunities we had. Performing in some of the most magnificent churches, the choir had the chance to showcase its beautiful blends and harmonies, singing both accompanied and A Capella numbers that simply rang throughout the atmospheres. One of our performance highlights would have to include the chance to sing during the mass at the wonderfully ethereal St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Surely an experience to remember for all those who were there!

With the performance at St. Peter’s concluding that leg of our trip, we were soon finding ourselves literally hopping onto an 8-hour train ride to the city of Gravedona. With a hotel that looked right onto the beautiful Lake Como, our choristers had a chance to wind down in this slower-paced environment, taking in the views and going for swims. Performance highlights included an outdoor evening concert with a local chamber orchestra and a Sunday mass at the local church.

One of the choristers’ favourite parts of this portion of the trip was the time spent in a city a boat ride away called Bellagio, one of the most famous and beautiful shopping districts in the region. We had the chance to browse through the little markets and boutiques, while getting some heavy-duty personal- and gift-shopping underway.

Our last full day in Italy was spent in Venice, also known as the City of Bridges. Splitting up into our groups, once more, we had plenty of time to explore the city’s shops and beautiful architecture. Visiting the gold-adorned St. Mark’s Basilica was a must, and with that was the conclusion of this incredible tour.

It was a time for friendship, exploration, and the successful showcasing of the UCC choir’s musicality and professionalism. Having created many memories to surely last a lifetime, congratulations and thanks to all those who helped make it what it was!